Carter Impresses in Pro Debut

It took all of 5 seconds for Jevon Carter to have his presence felt in a professional game.

Off the opening tip of the 2018 Summer League in Utah against Atlanta, Carter drove the ball against former Big XII rival Trae Young, was fouled and converted his first point as a professional basketball player.

Carter would only register 2 more points in the first quarter and his performance overall was overshadowed by the stat line his teammate and 4th overall selection in 2018 draft Jaren Jackson Jr. posted (8 3-pointers), but it was his demeanor that set him apart.

Whereas Trae Young forced his shot over and over again to no avail, Carter displayed his ability to facilitate the offense when running the point rather than look for opportunities to score. And yes, of course, Carter felt at home defending his man 90 feet away from the bucket. You can’t call it “pressing” but you could tell the former Mountaineer made his opponent uncomfortable just by being in his ear.

In the second half, the narrative remained the same. Carter rarely looked flustered on the offensive end and if anything, he looked confused at times as a defender.

When Carter wasn’t terrorizing Young for the third time this year, he sometimes got tangled up amongst the bigs and was unable to slow down players much stronger than he was. It’s only the first game of what will prove to be a long and illustrious career, but it’s obvious Carter shows a lot of promise as well as areas in need of refinement.

Carter finished the evening with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. The Grizzlies matchup against the Jazz tonight at 9:00 PM EST.

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Graduated from East Tennessee State University with a BA in English and minor in Journalism. Born and raised in Huntington, WV before moving to Johnson City, TN to attend school. Now Married and rooted in Bristol, TN.
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